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ESTABLISHED 2008 · MADE AND FITTED FROM OUR BRACKNELL WORKSHOP
Shopfront Signs
Shop front signage designed, manufactured and installed by one team. Illuminated fascias, built-up letters, tray signs and projecting signs for retailers, restaurants, salons and showrooms across the UK.
✓ Family-run, established in 2008
✓ CSCS, IPAF and PASMA accredited fitters
✓ Free site survey and design
✓ Our own workshop, our own fitters
GET A FREE QUOTE
Tell us what you need and where it is going. Photos and rough sizes help.
Or call 01344 862089 and talk it through.
2008
Established in Bracknell
UK-wide
Designed, made and fitted nationwide
One team
From survey to installation
Itemised
Quotes broken down line by line
WHAT WE MAKE
Types of Shop Front Sign
Every type below is designed, made in our Bracknell workshop and fitted by our own team. Pick the one closest to what you have in mind, or send us a photo and we will suggest the right finish.
Built-up letters
Individual three-dimensional letters fabricated from acrylic or metal and fixed directly to the fascia or to a backing tray. Available face-lit, halo-lit for a glow behind the letter, or non-illuminated. This is the finish that reads as a considered brand rather than a printed panel.
Vinyl lettering and window graphics
Cut vinyl applied directly to glass or panels for opening hours, service lists, contact details and offers. The most flexible option when the message changes regularly. See our full range of window graphics and displays.
Hoarding and fit-out graphics
Printed hoarding to cover the works while you are fitting out, so the site is still advertising the opening rather than sitting blank. We also print site hoarding and banners for construction and development, and retail signage for stores rolling out across several units.
HOW IT WORKS
Design, Manufacture and Installation Under One Roof
Survey and visual
We start with a survey, or with your measurements and photographs if you would rather not wait. Our design team then produces a visual laid over a photograph of your actual building, so you are approving something that looks like the finished result rather than a flat drawing.
Made in Bracknell
Manufacture happens in our Bracknell workshop on industry-leading machinery. That is what lets us match a specific brand colour, cut a shape that is not on anyone's standard list, or reproduce an existing sign where the original artwork is long gone.
Fitted by our own team
Installation is carried out by our own fitters, who hold CSCS, IPAF and PASMA accreditation for working on site and at height. Where a shopping centre, landlord or managing agent needs to see accreditations and method statements before anyone touches the fascia, we can supply them.
WHY SMART SIGNS
Why businesses choose us for their shop front
One team, start to finish
Survey, design, manufacture and fitting stay with the same people, so nothing gets lost between suppliers.
See it before it is made
A visual on a photo of your own frontage, signed off by you before anything is cut.
Accredited fitters
CSCS, IPAF and PASMA, with method statements ready for landlords and shopping centres.
Prices you can read
Every quote itemised, so you can see where the money goes and change the specification.
Planning Permission and Advertisement Consent
Most exterior shop front signage in England needs advertisement consent from the local planning authority, and illuminated signage almost always does. If your premises are listed, or sit within a conservation area, listed building consent or additional conditions are likely to apply, and councils in those areas often restrict internal illumination and modern materials.
This catches a lot of businesses out after the sign has been made. We will tell you what is likely to apply to your premises at survey stage, so the design is drawn to something that has a realistic chance of being approved. We can also supply the drawings and specification your application will need.
What Affects the Price of a Shop Front Sign
Size
Illumination
Material
Access
Four things move the cost more than anything else. Size, obviously, since a wide fascia needs more material and a bigger install. Illumination, because an LED-lit built-up letter is a fabricated assembly rather than a printed panel. Material, where powder-coated aluminium and stainless steel sit well above acrylic and composite panel. And access, since a first-floor fascia on a busy street may need a scaffold tower, a MEWP or a road closure, and that is a separate cost from the sign itself.
We quote all of this itemised rather than as a single figure, so you can see where the money is going and adjust the specification if you need to. If you already have a like-for-like quote, send it over and we will look at it. The same team also handles commercial signage for offices and trade premises.
Recent shop front work
What our customers say
“Emily and the team at Smart Signs were utterly fantastic, lovely company to deal with and we are over the moon with our sign! Thank you again!”
Maria F.
Google review
“They have done incredible job in just a couple of hours when other couldn't do in a week. Very professional and nice people”
Aga A.
Google review
“My sons and I have been using Smart signs for many years James and Emily have always been helpful and get the job done Small or big quick and efficiently! I would definitely recommend them!”
Sylvia B.
Google review
QUESTIONS
Shop Front Sign FAQs
How long does a shop front sign take?
Printed and vinyl work is quick. Fabricated illuminated letters take longer because each letter is built individually. Planning consent, where it is needed, is usually the longest part of the timeline and sits with the council rather than with us. We will give you a realistic date with the quote.
Do you make signs for shops outside Berkshire?
Yes. We are based in Bracknell but we design, manufacture and install nationwide, and we have delivered projects internationally.
Can you replace just the panel and keep the existing frame?
Often, yes. If the existing tray or lightbox is sound, a refaced panel is considerably cheaper than a full replacement. We will assess it at survey and tell you honestly if the frame is not worth keeping.
I only have a logo. Can you design the sign?
Yes. Our design team will take your logo or brand guidelines and lay the signage out over photographs of your premises so you can see it in place before committing.
What is the difference between built-up letters and flat-cut letters?
Built-up letters have depth, with returns around the sides, and can be illuminated. Flat-cut letters are cut from one sheet and mounted flat, so they are slimmer and cheaper but cannot be lit from within.
Do you maintain and repair existing signage?
Yes. Failed LEDs, damaged panels, faded vinyl and storm damage are all things we can look at, including on signage we did not originally supply.
Will my sign need maintenance?
Exterior signage is exposed to weather and will benefit from an occasional clean. Illuminated units may eventually need LED replacement. We will tell you the expected service life of the specification you are buying.
Get a Quote for Your Shop Front
Call 01344 862089, or email photographs of your premises, rough measurements and any artwork to info@smartsigns.co.uk and we will come back with a visual and an itemised price.
Unit 3 Longshot Lane, Bracknell RG12 1RL
Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 16:00
TELL US ABOUT YOUR SHOP FRONT